The speaker of Vietnam’s parliament has resigned, becoming the latest government member to leave office as part of an ongoing anti-corruption campaign that is shaking the political and business elite.
The resignation of National Assembly President Vuong Dinh Hue is adding to the growing political instability in the country.
President Vo Van Thuong resigned in March, just over a year after previous head of state Nguyen Xuan Phuc resigned to take political responsibility for corruption scandals during the pandemic.
“The situation also demonstrates extreme uncertainty in a political environment that often prides itself on stability, with three top leaders ousted in just one year,” Nguyen Hak Giang, an analyst at Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, said in a statement to The Associated Press (AP). .
Hue’s resignation comes days after his deputy, Pham Thai Ha, was arrested on April 21 on charges of abusing his position and power for personal gain, state media VN Express reported.
The initial information did not implicate Hue in corruption, but said investigators concluded that the parliament leader “violated party rules and that these violations affected the reputation of the party, the state and his own reputation.”
The Vietnamese Communist Party accepted what it called Hue’s “voluntary resignation,” VN Express reported.
Hue, 67, has been president of Vietnam’s National Assembly for more than three years.
It is the fourth highest political office in Vietnam, along with head of state, prime minister and leader of the Communist Party.
Political instability could threaten Vietnam’s economic ambitions as it seeks to become an alternative to the People’s Republic of China in the region.
Hue’s arrest was the result of an ongoing investigation into the Thuan An group, the Vietnam News Agency reported, citing Ministry of Public Security spokesman Lt. Gen. To An So.
Company chairman Nguyen Duy Hung and several others were arrested in early April, leading to an unprecedented death sentence for real estate tycoon Truong My Lan in Vietnam’s biggest fraud case.
Hue was previously seen as Trong’s likely successor, according to an analyst interviewed by North American news agency AP.
“The fall will only deepen the succession crisis in Vietnam,” Jiang said.
Vietnam’s leaders are expected to convene a Communist Party congress in early 2026.
Meanwhile, rivals are struggling to position themselves as successor to Trong, who was elected to a third term as party chief in 2021, according to experts consulted by the AP.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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